


To Our Trusty and Beloved Cousin

by astronomylady



Series: Pride and Vor-Prejudice [5]
Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Future Fic, LGB Intolerance, Minor Character Death, Multi, Quarelling Relatives, Threesome - F/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-01-25 16:27:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18578233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astronomylady/pseuds/astronomylady
Summary: A sequel to 'An Ideal Husband' and ‘Scenes from an Embassy’ set in the future-fic AU about Ivan, Tej, Byerly and their children.Miles and Lady Alys are not the only relatives to arbitrarily rearrange Ivan’s life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> To Zoya1416 in thanks for inspiring me to write more. Sorry it wasn't the husband snark you wanted.

We have received your final after-action reports about the rescue of the passengers from the ‘Pride of Olbia’ and later events. I am relieved at your safe return from Tau Ceti and the conclusion of the joint suppression operation. Again, We offer Our congratulations and a grateful well done to you all.

I have become skilled at parsing your reports to identify the under-valuation of your contributions. Furthermore, Ambassador Vorgorov and ImpSec-Chief Niels have been more forthcoming in their praise. I have no doubt that your manoeuvres with the Marilacan military was far more risky and hands-on than you recorded in your dispatches. Also Byerly’s actions, protecting the Barrayaran hostages from inside the pirate den, were truly heroic. I am sure of this, due to both the terseness of the report and the lack-of-complaint about his wardrobe damage. The latter makes me a little concerned for his mental wellbeing. Make sure that he is looked after and let him know that Lady Katya and young Mademoiselle Vorgier have arrived safely back in Imperial space. Both young ladies are recovering and want to thank Byerly again in person. Furthermore, Lord Vorkalloner extends a personal blood-debt to you both for rescuing his youngest daughter.

I had intended to summon you back for a visit and award-ceremony once the mop-up was complete. However, domestic events have caused a change of plan and I am now summoning you permanently. Your orders are cut and attached here.

I realise that two years is overly-brief for a diplomatic posting, and the recall will tear your children away from their new schools, but I need you all back in Vorbarr Sultana. There is good news, bad news and personally devastating news. The good news is that the largest obstacle to your marriage to Byerly has gone. I may soon be able to grant your marriage petition, following the arrangements worked out between yourselves and the Empress. The bad news is that the obstacle in question, your cousin Count Falco, has died. His health had been failing for over a year and he passed away from a stroke. You are receiving this notification almost two months late, because We ordered the news suppressed until active operations were over. While the lives of Our subjects were in jeopardy, I refused to distract all of you with personal matters you could not change. Now that the worst is over, I can share the devastating news: Falco learned about the new embryo between yourself and By from Lady Alys, and has carried out his threat. He has disinherited you. Worse, in his will he stripped you of the name Vorpatril, deliberately making your family clan-less as well as insolvent.

I am so sorry Ivan. As you struggle with your shock and pain, know that your cousin and Emperor’s heart is breaking alongside you. If I could erase the light-years between us, I would be there to give you this news in person. However, I could neither leave Vorbarr Sultana nor wait for your return and risk some fool journalist getting to you first.

Furthermore, I know that you would want to take this news very privately. Your relatives and friends mean well, but they would only interfere and increase your distress right now. I understand this; we are very different men, but we both prefer to endure our hurts in silence. Because of this truth, I Request and Require you to lean on Tej and Byerly. Both your spouses know first-hand what it is like to lose everything and stand alone. Show them this missive, listen to them and accept their words of wisdom. They know how to go on. We _will_ make this right. Our Word as Vorbarra.

Now, that I have broken the news, the communication embargo will be lifted and shortly all of you will be receiving many letters of support, condemnation and gossip from sundry Vorbarras, Vorkosigans, Vorrutyers, Vorbrettans and Koudelkas; all of whom are outraged at this shabby treatment of men that have laid down blood and bone on Our service. Do your best to ignore the fuss and focus on the knowledge that many people love you. I have already stepped very firmly on Miles and Dono and told them the best way to help is to concentrate on the marriage law legislation —parts of which are now scheduled for voting in the Council of Counts.

Your lady mother is even more distressed by this action than your cousins. She has been trumpeting her outrage and pulling strings to reverse this until she has become quite ill. Unfortunately she blames Byerly for the whole situation, overlooking that your decision to start an embryo means that you knew exactly what you were doing and freely chose your future. Your mother is now in her mid-seventies and her judgement is not as keenly sharp as it was when she was training Laisa and Delia. Simon is looking after her health and Laisa and I have each promised her that we are looking after your interests. In the meantime, I urge Tej to vet all correspondence from Lady Alys first. Let your very-caring wife decide whether either husband should see it at all.

Instead, I have spent the time negotiating with the new Count, Stefin Vorpatril —yes, your cousin Edwin is out and his younger brother became Count’s Choice. He was confirmed by the council just a day before Falco’s stroke— I now have, what I believe to be a reasonable settlement. It is in the second part of this missive, but the document will not open without a 26 hour time delay and a confirmation from Tej that you have had over 6 hours sleep. I want you to grieve with your family, eat, sleep, then read the proposal with a clearer head. Until then, I remind you of Uncle Aral’s distinction between honour and reputation.

Your cousin

Count Gregor Vorbarra, Emperor of Barrayar.

 


	2. Chapter 2

To Our Trusty and Beloved Cousin Lord Ivan,

I hope you are somewhat recovered from the shock, if no less angry than yesterday. The first step is to explain what has happened in the Vorpatril District over the last few months.  It started with accounting discrepancies that turned into a fraud case implicating the Count’s Voice and heir; Falco’s eldest nephew, Edwin.  I ordered Lord Auditor Vorgustafson to check matters and it blew up into a full corruption scandal.  Edwin and two other cousins were defrauding the district and collaborating in a drugs ring and an under-age prostitution racket. They sampled the goods too, Vorgustafson uncovered a couple of Vorpatril bastards.  Falco was horrified, so was Major Stefin Vorpatril, who took leave from his post to come help, the minute he was cleared of any collusion with his older brother. Falco knew his time was running out and was determined to clean house before it was too late.  It was then that your embryo news broke and your mother decided to air another round of complaints.  Falco included you when he exorcised the rot from his family.  Two months later, your reports on the rescue would have arrived and it might not have happened.  It wasn’t retaliatory, just atrocious timing and a determination to carry out his duty to his people to the last.

 This background has a large effect on what happens next. You have the right to challenge the will, and Edwin has used his last allies to lodge a petition with Council of Counts contesting the succession. I’m sure there is a message in your queue from him; blustering outrage for your joint honour and requesting you join his legal action. He is doubtless relying on your valuable prestige to help sway the Council vote. I’m asking you not to do this.

I know this is a mortal insult to your honour and Falco has harmed you badly, but he acted honourably out of conviction and duty. He was wrong about you, he was not wrong about Edwin and the others. The man abused his people and is unworthy to become Count. You could win this fight, but your political capital would be wasted on a criminal, instead of going toward the marriage-reform vote.

Your cousin Stefin is worthy to be Count. He’s a strong conservative, who doesn’t approve of homosexuality or polygamy, but is fair-minded enough to know that you fell into the situation and made the best of it. He doesn’t think much of Byerly either, but a military man can appreciate Byerly’s service to the Empire and can see the risks he ran to save young girls from slavery and death. He’s appalled at the will’s treatment of you all. I quote: “the reward for a job well done, should be a harder job, not poverty and dishonour!” You will probably find a message from him as well —praising your honour, lauding your service, promising to help, but begging you not to support Edwin contest the will.

You are still Vor and have your title, that was never Falco’s to take. You can lodge a separate petition before the Council, requesting the restoration of your name and probably win. However, the political price will inevitably be your marriage. Two years ago, that would have been desirable, but now? To lose your hard work and emotional investment? To bastardise your son before he is even born? I think not. Therefore, We propose a bargain.

If you accept the disinheritance and join another house, the new Count Stefin will issue a statement of support. In this he will disavow Falco’s action as a mistake and a smear on your honour, however, as dutiful sons of the family, both of you intend to respect the rule of law and not contest the last will of your head-of-house. Next, Stefin and I will make reparations equal to the financial loss from your Vorpatril holdings. There is advantage in this, as you would own this wealth without strings, and can distribute it amongst your unconventional family as you wish, without the legal entailing of your grandfather’s inheritance. Lady Alys remains a Vorpatril, so her holdings are unaffected. Third, Stefin has pledged his support —in writing— to the polygamy vote, when it comes before the council. Not the homosexual-marriage vote or the others, he will vote his conscience on those, but he will hand over this one in order to make things right for you. I believe some careful lobbying from you and Byerly toward Count Vorpatril and Lord Vorkalloner may be enough to break off some of the Conservative bloc and see the vote through.

 As to when this vote will occur, I cannot say. Dono’s Committee for Imperium Marriage Codification is still wrangling over many details. Ironically, for all the horror surrounding what the reactionaries label ‘the galactic perversion of homosexuality’, the legislation for men’s marriage was far easier to formulate and the vote will be coming up soon after you arrive home. Despite much conservative opposition , there is enough of a majority to pass. Everyone really does have a relative who’s ‘a bit funny’ and Byerly’s letter campaign to his friends has worked. Bachelors have lobbied their relatives, others have had the courage to testify about their broken marriages and unhappy children, all caused by putting family expectations before integrity. Do get Dono’s gossip about the testimony from his ex-husband number two —it’s priceless.

The final protocol is unexpectedly straightforward: There can be no chance pregnancies, so every marriage can be pre-planned with a betrothal contract for as long as it takes to negotiate. The men must pledge which family they will belong to, where eggs are donated from, any adoption choices etc., then the children will take that family name and become solely heirs to that family. There will be no double-barrelled names and each spouse will take the rank and oaths of the house they are joining.

In contrast, a group-marriage law is much harder because it involves our long, tangled history of gender inequality. There are solid reasons for bigamy to remain illegal, as so many women are still unpaid for their work and it’s a rare man that can support two wives and children. The committee has thus focussed solely on reforming polyandry law as that’s more needed by the excess male population. There are more tangles still, because a woman owes her first loyalty to her husband, while a man owes his first loyalty to his Count and then Emperor. So what do the two co-spouses do? To whom is the woman sworn? There are several options, but Dono is pushing hard to allow women to swear their own independent loyalty oaths. His experience on both sides of the gender divide is invaluable to the argument, but some Conservatives have spotted the wider implications and are pushing back. They fear it will profoundly change our society—and they are right. If women can hold their own honour, unsubsumed by their husband’s, then it would enable married women to take professional oaths or officially work in government and the military. They would also be unshielded from treason.  Dono is effectively lobbying for the greatest act of emancipation in our history. The problem will not be solved this year, certainly not in time to see you married before your son is born.

So, after your award ceremony, we will be taking a visit to Solstice dome on Komarr. Laisa’s parents have offered the Toscane building as a wedding venue and we will cast the groat circle there, on a planet where group marriage is already legal. Laisa and Delia will be sending you the revised details and guest list for your approval. My only requested change at this time is that your Coach be a High-Vor by blood, not a prole or galactic. Drou will be disappointed, but it removes one avenue for conservative criticism. However, you must next meet the requirements of Komarran law. It now demands that visiting Barrayarans have permission from their Count, or other legal superior, to marry. This is the last reason why I wish you will not contest Falco’s will. A disinherited man loses his familial obligations along with his support. You are no longer bound to the Vorpatrils and can now switch Districts as readily as any prole or ordinary Vor. Tej has no Barrayaran district and Dono will release Byerly to switch as well. I want you all to swear to me as Count Vorbarra. As for joining another house, there are three possible choices, but one clear one. Ivan, you grew up in the Residence, away from your Vorpatril kin, because of your Vorbarra heritage. You have been a little brother to me in all but name; you were my most viable heir for thirty years, enduring all the danger and tribulation that position brings.  You are a de facto Vorbarra and will always be one. We have prepared a decree to make you a de jure one as well —Lord Ivan Xav Vorbarra.

Breathe Ivan, breathe.

Now, before you pass out from panic, I am _not_ changing the order of succession. You will remain the junior cadet branch of the Vorbarras and still fall behind Miles’ tribe.  You will have the title Lord, not Prince, and your own children are still disbarred from the campstool by virtue of their Cetagandan blood.  Dorca had a morganatic marriage, think of this as a morganatic adoption.  The overall result will be that, as your head-of-house, Count and Emperor I can stack up the jurisdictions in a blanket permission, enabling you all to marry.  I hope you will agree to this, I confess I look forward to your oath, as well as the moment after the groat circle is broken, when Tej and By will place their hands between Mine as Vorbarras.

 By the time the polyandry vote comes up, Vorbarr Sultana society will have had plenty of time to observe a working High Vor triad and children.  Your example should calm a lot of fears —provided Byerly limits the scope of his more obnoxious remarks. I will speak to him privately— When you stand in the witness circle at Vorhatung Castle you will be wielding the Vorbarra name as you do it. That should firmly nail down my expectations.

 

Now for the traditional reward for a job well done.  In additional to being under the social microscope, I have a new diplomatic task right here in Vorbarr Sultana, I estimate it will last 6 to 8 years —Vorling wrangling.

The Crown Prince has turned 15 and stopped listening to me. Yes the teenage ‘sturm and drang’ is well underway. Young Aral isn’t far behind either. The Vor Dragons and gold-diggers are already circling and many of the other political bottom-feeders have taken notice of the problems and started to draw in. In other words it’s Vordrozda all over again. I’m sure that Uncle Aral is chortling in his grave, now that the shoe is firmly on the other foot. I dread another Hessman plot, but it’s as inevitable as sunrise that one or more will occur. The boys need to make their own mistakes and learn from them, however, I fear the cost in lives to pay for that learning. They need what Cordelia calls a “Non-parental trusted adult” and there are only two men I trust with the honour of my sons.

Miles may be trustworthy, but his turbulent nature is more likely to raise the chaos and body count, not reduce it. Last month, his response to a diatribe my eldest made about perceived Komarran grievances, was to fly him down to the Vorkosigan District and visit the Vashnoi hot-zone. It worked; but ImpSec and the Ministries are still having hysterics about the radiation hazard to the Crown Prince, and Laisa was so angry at my foster brother, she threw him out of the Residence by his Auditor chain. Sadly he enjoyed it too much for the action to have any effect. I want you Ivan. Your epistolatory ‘innocent bystander’ lessons have been helpful to all the children, I want you here to deliver those lessons in person.

 I want the boys to have a pair of experienced, scandalous uncles, to toughen them up and ease them through the pitfalls of power, venality, vice and excess.  Byerly will take a bad drubbing, given his awful reputation, but I particularly want him around to teach the difference between dissipation and his uncle Ges Vorrutyer’s true evil.  I want my children to be able to distinguish between ordinary snakes and true vipers and I want them not to become one themselves.  Officially, I am appointing you to a post in the Ministry for Galactic Relations, while Tej and Byerly will be given over to Laisa’s service.  Most Vor will assume this is just another plum job secured by nepotism; let them. I have many fine diplomats, dedicated to Barrayar’s peace and prosperity, but instilling your brand of honour and loyalty into my younger sons may be the important diplomatic job I ever give you, certainly the future peace of the Imperium depends on it.

It is not all demand and no return from My hands. Your immediate gain would be three Vorbarra Armsmen of your choice to be seconded to your family’s protection in addition to your ImpSec detail. Also, you would have quarters in the Residence for as long as you wish. Next will be the best education in the empire for your children. Selig and Simone Vorkosigan are currently enrolled in a very fine primary school in Vorbarr Sultana. Padma could join their year group and have cousins to help him integrate, Moira would have my youngest in her year. I know Tej fears for Moira growing up on Barrayar, nor is she wrong, but Laisa has similar concerns for our own daughters. My princesses have science and economics lessons, regular contact with their female engineering cousins, an expectation of university and being more than a political hostess. Moira will have the same, plus anything else Tej feels she needs in order to grow up safe, happy and empowered. Too, this is an opportunity for Byerly to remake himself after so many years away, and this time he can be whom he chooses, not what ImpSec insists he be.

Lastly, when you crack the bottle on your new son you can legally name him Lord Simon Dono Amiri Vorbarra. I know it’s a terrifying thought to you, but offset the problems by the raw satisfaction you will gain from springing this social coup upon your mother and Byerly’s father. Dono is certainly looking forward to it.

 Review all your correspondence, consult your family and contact us with your decision.  I can adjust the details if you have a counter-proposal, but I believe I have found the best way ahead for your family, mine and the Imperium. It is a challenging path I have set before you, but I have faith that you are strong enough to walk it.

Your cousin

Count Gregor Vorbarra, Emperor of Barrayar.

 


End file.
